Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus that activates a software access point for multiple purposes.
Description of the Related Art
There is an increasing number of information processing apparatuses such as multifunction apparatuses, printers, and so forth, that have wireless local area network (LAN) functions. In these information processing apparatuses, there are those that have software access point (AP) functions where the apparatus itself operates as an AP, and can establish a wireless connection with a communication terminal and exchange information without going through an external relay device (referred to as “direct wireless communication”). For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2013-205982 describes an information processing apparatus that establishes wireless connection with a mobile terminal, and uses the established wireless connection to exchange audio data and photographic data with the mobile terminal.
Also, there is known in recent years an information processing apparatus that can perform initial settings of an information processing device cooperatively with a communication terminal that a user has. The user that has purchased these information processing apparatuses can, for example, use a communication terminal such as a smartphone or tablet or the like to connect to a software AP that an information processing apparatus has activated, and perform initial settings of the information processing apparatus.
An example of initial settings is setting of a wireless network of an information processing apparatus. Multiple Internet of Things (IoT) advocacy groups are beginning to develop a system where communication terminals and information processing apparatuses cooperate in this way to perform settings for the wireless network of information processing apparatuses.
For example, AllJoyn (a registered trademark), which is an IoT standard promoted by the Linux Foundation has developed an Onboarding service as a framework for performing wireless network settings of devices using a communication terminal. In the AllJoyn Onboarding service, devices such as information processing apparatuses that receive wireless network settings to participate in an office network or home network are referred to as an “Onboardee”. A communication terminal that connects to a software AP that the Onboardee provides and transmits wireless network settings to the Onboardee is referred to as an “Onboarder”. The Onboarder connects to a software AP that the Onboardee provides, and transmits wireless network settings to the Onboardee. The Onboardee performs wireless network settings of a connection target based on the wireless network settings received from the Onboarder, and thus can connect to an external AP.
There also are, in recent years, information processing apparatuses, such as printers, multifunction apparatuses, and so forth, that have mobile communication functions to perform printing and scanning from communication terminals, using direct wireless communication.